Images are a key component in blogging and email marketing. The problem is, if you’re using mostly free stock images, you’ll have problems getting your content to stand out. That’s where image editing comes in, which can be expensive in some cases, as well as time-consuming.
Fortunately, there are a lot of free services you can use that enable you to edit images online. Some of them even pack enough features to give premium tools a run for their money. With the right service and a little practice, you’ll be able to make your blog stand out visually.
In this article, I’m going to introduce you to five of my favorite services you can use to create images for your blog. All of them are free, and you don’t need to download anything to start using them, so let’s dive right in!
1. Canva
Canva is the kind of service that when you hear about it, your first thought is “There’s no way a single tool can do all that.” The service enables you to edit photographs and create custom graphics. For the latter, Canva provides you with plenty of elements you can use to generate infographics, diagrams, charts, mind maps, and more.
When you dig deeper, you’ll realize the service even includes options for web wire-framing, icon design, and a lot of photo editing features.
To be fair, while Canva does let you do a lot, it also doesn’t have as much depth as more niche software. However, it’s more than enough to tackle all your basic web design and graphics creation needs. Plus, its free plan is pretty great, so you don’t even need to pay to access all that functionality.
2. Pixlr
Sometimes, you just need to make some quick adjustments to a photo or an image you found online. There are plenty of free tools you can use in those cases, such as Gimp, Paint.NET, and more. The thing is, having to download the software and learn how to use it is often more effort than it’s worth for simple edits.
Pixlr, on the other hand, is a tool you can load on your browser in seconds. You can use it to crop images, resize them, add filters, text, and even put together multiple graphics. It doesn’t do much when compared to Photoshop, for example, but it’s more than enough for quick fixes, which is often all you need.
3. Photopea
Photopea hasn’t been around for long, but it’s already one of my favorite image editing tools. One guy took a look at what other online image editing services were offering and decided he could do better. After a lot of work, he put together Photopea, which feels like you’re using a lite version of Photoshop, all in your browser.
While Photopea can’t compete with Photoshop regarding the sheer number of features, it does offer a lot more functionality than other free online image editing software. It doesn’t feel like you’re using a free tool and the fact you can do so from your browser without downloading any software is impressive.
If you’ve tried other tools but found them lacking in features, then give Photopea a shot. It does take a while to learn all the ins and outs of the application, but the effort is well worth it if you want to create images for your blog.
4. Fotor
If I had to compare Fotor with another tool, it would be Canva. The difference is, whereas Canva tries to do a little bit of everything, Fotor is all about image editing geared for websites and social media.
This tool packs a very user-friendly interface with plenty of features that enable you to add some fun to your images. For example, you can add text with effects, use stickers, and design borders for your graphics – and that’s just for starters.
If your primary concern is to make the images you use on your blog stand out, then Fotor can be a great choice. It doesn’t provide you with advanced editing functionality, but if that’s isn’t what you’re after, then it’s more than enough.
5. BeFunky
With a name like BeFunky, I didn’t expect much from this service. However, it packs all the features that other image editing tools use, such as Pixlr. Its interface looks pretty good, and it’s easy to pick up the software’s functionality even if you’re new to image editing.
For me, BeFunky is an excellent choice if you want to make your blog’s graphics stand out with fun effects, or if you need to touch up pictures. However, what really makes BeFunky stand out is its batch processing feature. What that means is you can take a lot of images and edit them all at once. That’s perfect for blogging because you’ll often need to resize images for your posts or maybe you want to add the same effect to multiple ones.
With other image editing services, that can take a while, but with BeFunky you can be done in minutes. If you tend to use lots of images on your posts, then definitely give BeFunky a shot (and ignore the name, like I do!).
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter if you’re stuck using free stock images, as long as you know how to spruce them up a bit. Just knowing image-editing basics, such as cropping, resizing, and maybe using some filters can be enough to make your graphics stand out. The problem is, most professional image editing software can be rather expensive, particularly if you’re on a tight budget.
Let’s go over some of the free online services you can use to create images for your blog:
- Canva: Create infographics, charts, and pretty much any other type of image you need.
- Pixlr: Edit your images quickly with a tool that’s dead-easy to use.
- Photopea: Use a full-fledged image editor from within your browser.
- Fotor: Spruce up your photos with fun effects and stickers.
- BeFunky: Edit multiple images at once to save time.
Do you have any questions about how to Start a Blog? Ask away in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay.